Advanced Studies in Meteorological Encapsulation
by cgkm2099z
Summary: This is a post-Season 4 AU where Jeff's business doesn't fail and he doesn't return to Greendale. It takes place in February of 2014, or what would've been February of Season 5. After graduation, Jeff has lost touch with the rest of the study group. But a night out drinking leads to a big surprise. Special thanks to BethanyActually for being my Beta!
1. The Geocentric Model

Jeff awoke to a splitting headache and only hazy memories of the night before. He'd been celebrating a big win in a case where he'd been representing a family-run farm in southeastern Colorado. The farmers had been growing and selling their goods under the family name for generations, but a national chain had recently started a "farm-fresh" division under the same name and had slapped a copyright infringement claim on his clients. He fully expected an appeal, but for now he'd scored a big win in the initial district court ruling.

It was the latest in a string of wins for Jeff Winger, and he was earning himself quite the reputation around the state. He had more cases coming in now than he could handle by himself, and so he had begun the process of bringing in a partner and additional staff. It was sometimes difficult to believe that only six months earlier he'd been close to going out of business. And he very well might have gone out of business if he hadn't made that one all-important change to his philosophy.

Jeff didn't know what he would've done if his business had failed, yet despite how close that had been, he'd made it. His initial struggles after graduation and on through the summer made his success now that much sweeter. He'd just moved into a condo in a new upscale building and put a down payment on a brand-new Lexus LS 500. Professionally, Jeff hadn't been doing this well since before he'd had his license suspended.

His personal life however…

It's not that his personal life was going badly; it just wasn't going much at all. Ever since things had picked up at work, he'd been far too busy for much social interaction beyond client meetings and business dinners. And before that… well, he'd had the time, but not the desire to get out much. Feeling like a failure didn't exactly make you want to go out and party. And it especially didn't make you want to face down six people who thought of you as a hero and explain to them that you're a fraud.

Last night however, he'd allowed himself to cut loose for once. There were rumors of a big incoming winter storm, but it was a Friday night, he had a big win under his belt and another case off his plate, and the charming redhead with the long legs he'd met at the bar had been encouraging him to continue ordering more drinks. It wasn't the bar he usually went to, and it wasn't the drink he normally preferred. The redhead – what was her name again? – had favored tequila over scotch, and Jeff and tequila had never been friends. Especially the next day when he couldn't remember much and invariably felt like someone was pounding a railway spike into his forehead.

Jeff rolled onto his side and stared at the clock on his nightstand. The blood red digital display taunted him with its readout: 5:11 am. This always seemed to happen on the rare occasions that he got really drunk – he'd wake up after only a few hours of sleep, still feeling the effects of the alcohol, but also the impending hangover. He didn't remember returning home or changing clothes, but evidently he'd had the wherewithal to get out of his suit and into a t-shirt and sweatpants.

Wait… sweatpants? He never slept in sweatpants.

He was trying to solve the sweatpants mystery, and rubbing at his temples to try to dull the pain, when a rustling noise behind him made him freeze. He turned his head slowly in the direction of the noise, but the dark of early morning combined with the heavy curtains on his windows made it impossible for him to make anything out. Another rustling noise was soon followed by a deep breath and a slow exhale. Jeff almost laughed out loud. Apparently he'd done better at the bar than he thought. Although… hadn't he been too drunk to–?

Well whatever. It had been far too long since the last time he'd woken up next to a woman. The realization of just how long it had been sent a pang of loneliness coursing through him. It wasn't his usual style – or really his style at all – but some invisible force was pulling him towards the sleeping form lying next to him. He rolled over and carefully slid himself towards the other side of the king-sized bed. He couldn't remember her name, nor what they had done together, but she had agreed to come home with him. A little light spooning – Jeff Winger did NOT cuddle – was permissible, right?

He placed his left arm around her lightly and sank his head slowly onto the pillow next to hers. A light hum emanated from the sleeping woman as he relaxed next to her; her slow, even breathing continuing uninterrupted. Something about this felt inexplicably right… it was almost as if Jeff needed something like this in his life.

But no, that couldn't be it. His eyes began to get heavy again, and soon he was drifting back to sleep.

Her hair smelled like vanilla and strawberries…

* * *

"Oh my God, what are you _doing_?!"

Jeff awoke with a start to find himself being knocked backwards as a wriggling form escaped out from under his arm. The pain in his head came rushing back along with consciousness, and his hands flew up to his head as he winced reflexively. "Take- ahh… take it easy babe…"

"BABE?!" the woman almost shouted, her voice bursting with indignation.

 _Oh great…_

The last thing he needed right now was an argument over feminist semantics. Jeff's eyes remained squeezed shut as he rubbed at his temples, but the pounding in his head stubbornly refused to subside. "Oh come on. You didn't mind me calling you that last night, or all the drinks I bought you."

"And who exactly do you think I am?" she scoffed. Some humor had crept into her voice as well, but the indignation was still there. It was such a familiar tone of voice, he almost smiled. All that was missing was a gasp and–

Jeff froze.

He pried his eyes open and confirmed what his ears had been trying to communicate to his brain through the fog of his hangover.

" _Annie_?! Wh- what- are you doing here?!" he sputtered. "Why were you in my bed?"

Annie glanced around uncomfortably, but made a brave show of maintaining as much indignation as possible.

"We didn't…?" Jeff couldn't bring himself to finish the thought. "…did we?"

Annie rolled her eyes and sighed loudly. "No, Jeff, we didn't. You wouldn't have been capable even _if_ that had been our intent." A light shade of pink crept into her cheeks, despite her sarcasm. "You really don't remember anything from last night?"

Jeff searched his mind, but all that managed to accomplish was an increase in the intensity of his headache. In the end, all he could manage was a meek shake of the head.

"I guess I'm not too surprised," Annie mused. "You were pretty out of it."

"Dare I ask?"

"All I know is that I was out with friends from my old job and one of them came back from the bathroom talking about some guy passed out in the corner booth." Annie smirked at him. "I didn't think much of it until the bar staff tried to remove him and I saw who it was."

"Ah."

"You were making a bit of a scene," Annie had that familiar look on her face that equally mixed concern for his well-being with disapproval of his actions. "They were going to call the police until I promised to take you home." Jeff felt a rush of embarrassment. He hadn't seen Annie in about eight months, and this was not exactly how he would've chosen to run into her again. "You must have lost your wallet too, because I had to pay your bar tab. You owe me a hundred and sixty bucks."

Jeff's embarrassment quickly turned to panic as he jumped out of bed and searched in vain for his wallet. After a few futile minutes of tearing through his previous night's clothes he gave up and slumped his shoulders. "I think I know why the woman I met at the bar wanted me to order so many drinks…" he said ruefully.

Annie had perched herself on the corner of the bed nearest him and her mouth dropped open in surprise. "You think she stole your wallet?" Jeff nodded and Annie gave him a sympathetic look. "Oh no… well you should call to cancel your credit cards right away."

Jeff pinched the bridge of his nose and nodded. "Well I feel like a total idiot." For a moment Annie looked like she was going to argue, but she remained silent. Jeff felt the pressing need to change the subject to anything other than his own embarrassment. "So, um… how did we end up back here?"

Annie shrugged. "I gave you a ride. It wasn't all that easy getting you into the car, but after you gave me your new address you pretty much slept the whole way here. The roads were awful, though. I was skidding all over the place and it was only getting worse, so I didn't want to take a chance heading back across town again. And you said I could stay. Well, you mumbled it at least."

"Ok, but…" Jeff shifted uncomfortably, "why were we in bed together? Why didn't one of us sleep on the couch?"

Annie gave him a flat look. "You don't have a couch."

He stopped short, remembering the new couch that was supposed to be delivered the next week. "Oh… right." Jeff cursed silently. As if being sloppy drunk in front of her, getting his wallet stolen, and then spooning her without permission weren't enough, he just kept finding new ways to make an ass of himself. "Well, thanks for getting me home. I'll pay you back for the bar tab. And uh… sorry for spooning you like that, I um… I really didn't know it was you."

The rosy shade of pink returned to Annie's cheeks and her gaze flitted away from his towards the floor. "You're welcome. And… It's ok, I- I know you were out of it…"

Jeff felt another stab of pain in his forehead and almost grunted in discomfort. "Yeah, and I've got the headache to go with it. I'm going to go take some Advil. You uh, want some breakfast?"

"Sure!" Annie flashed a bright smile and hopped up off the bed with that absurd level of enthusiasm with which she seemed to do everything. Jeff had always found it annoying. And irresistible…

As Annie padded out of the bedroom towards the kitchen, Jeff went to the master bathroom in search of tablet-shaped pain relief. He dug around his medicine cabinet until he found the bottle of Advil, then washed down double the recommended dosage with a few swigs of water. He was about to head out to the kitchen, but stopped when he caught his reflection in the mirror. He had never been quite sure whether he liked what he saw there. And he had to wonder… what did Annie see?

It was strange seeing her again under these circumstances, but he had to admit that despite his lingering embarrassment, he was glad he'd run into her. There were times in life when forces larger than yourself pulled you away from someone. And despite every intent to stay in touch, you ended up drifting apart. Eventually it got to the point where you felt too ashamed of your own neglect to do anything, as though reaching out would only serve to remind the other person that they were supposed to be disappointed in you. Finally, paralyzed by guilt, you were left with only the hope that the other person would take the initiative – not knowing that they were feeling the same things you were.

But sometimes those forces larger than yourself abruptly shifted direction, and you found yourself colliding with the person you thought was out of reach. The funny thing was how normal it all felt. You each slid back into familiar roles. And although you weren't exactly the same as you'd been before, it felt like putting on a comfortable pair of old slippers, and you were left wondering why you'd been avoiding it…

Jeff snapped out of his reverie and knelt to enter the combination to the safe where his toiletries resided. After brushing his teeth and gargling with some mouthwash, he made some practiced adjustments to his hair to give it just the right appearance of not caring. He returned the toiletries to their rightful place, but grabbed two small packages before swinging the safe shut.

As he made his way out of the bedroom towards the kitchen, he caught sight of Annie on her tiptoes, straining to reach something in one of the top cupboards.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying – _uhnnn_ \- to get some stuff to make breakfast." Annie dropped down to the floor again and let out a frustrated huff. "Why are all your mixing bowls up so high?"

Jeff strolled up next to Annie and studied her. He recognized that determined look on her face, so before she could begin scaling his counters to reach the bowls, he reached up and casually plucked them out of the top cupboard. "Sorry, this kitchen was built for normal-sized adults."

Jeff grinned at the glare that was immediately directed his way. "You are NOT normal-sized."

"Maybe," he shrugged, "but neither are you."

Annie pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. But as she turned away towards the refrigerator, he caught the faintest hint of a smile and Jeff found himself letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He'd missed their little back-and-forths, and it was good to know she was still willing to play along.

Annie pulled the refrigerator open and scanned its contents. "What do you want to eat?"

"That's my line."

Annie glanced up at him. "Hmm?"

"You're my guest, Annie. You're here because you did me a favor and quite possibly saved me from being dragged out of a bar by the police. So tell me what you want, and I'll make it."

Annie's face registered a brief look of surprise before turning pensive. "Umm… how about lobster and caviar?"

Jeff snorted in amusement. "That's for lunch."

"Oh." Annie bit her lower lip and looked at him through her eyelashes. "Can you make an omelet?"

Jeff brushed her gently to the side and began pulling out ingredients. "Regular or egg white?"

"Either is fine, but if you're having egg white, I'll take one of those, please."

"Egg white it is." Jeff finished stacking ingredients on the dark marble countertop of the kitchen island before flipping the stovetop on to preheat. He then pulled out a cutting board and began slicing a green pepper. He hadn't made much progress, though, before he paused and arched an eyebrow at Annie. "Stop hovering."

"I can help!" she protested.

Jeff smirked at her. "I know you _can_ help, but you're not going to. So have a seat." He nodded towards the other side of the island where three bar stool chairs were situated. Annie reluctantly maneuvered around to the other side and hopped up onto one of the chairs, and for the first time Jeff noticed what she was wearing. "Is that my sweatshirt?"

Annie glanced down at the mottled gray fabric and the faded design of the Rocky Mountains that stretched across the chest. "Oh, yeah. I didn't exactly have a change of clothes with me. I borrowed a pair of sweatpants too, I hope you don't mind." Jeff shook his head. "They're way too big though." To prove her point, Annie grabbed at the fabric that was bunched up beyond her left elbow and pulled it down until it swallowed up her entire arm.

"Regular-sized," Jeff said nonchalantly as he resumed slicing. He could practically hear her eyes roll.

"You know," Annie's voice had taken on a teasing tone, "I was pretty surprised that Jeff Winger owned a pair of sweatpants, let alone two."

"And just what is wrong with wearing a garment that loves and accepts you for who you are?" Jeff glanced up and pointed the handle of his paring knife at her. "Sweatpants never judged me, and neither should you."

Annie huffed out a laugh. "I'm not judging, I just thought they'd be below the minimum price threshold to be included in your wardrobe."

Jeff scraped a pile of neatly sliced green pepper bits into a mixing bowl and began working on a red pepper. "I know I do a good job of hiding it Annie, but I _am_ human." He paused in his slicing and reached into the pocket of his sweatpants to pull out the items he'd grabbed from his bathroom. "Oh, but speaking of things you probably didn't have with you, here." He tossed a toothbrush and tube of travel toothpaste he'd gotten at his last dentist appointment onto the countertop.

Annie smiled at him gratefully. "Thanks. Is it ok if I use your bathroom, or should I just use the sink here?"

Jeff had to choke back a laugh. "Use the bathroom like a normal person, weirdo."

Annie stuck her tongue out at him before hopping off the chair and trotting off towards the bathroom. As she disappeared into his bedroom, Jeff realized he'd been staring and gave his head a quick shake to snap out of it. Dammit. Why did it have to be so hot when a girl wore your clothes?

When Annie reappeared, Jeff was in the process of putting on a pot of coffee, having already finished cutting up the red pepper, some mushrooms, and a Roma tomato. She smiled at him as she climbed back onto the bar stool. "So… I haven't seen you in forever. How have you been?"

"Doing really well, actually," he said as he turned to begin cracking open the first egg into a mixing bowl before using a tool to separate the yolk out. "Busy though, work has been crazy and to top it off I just moved here two weeks ago." He gestured towards the living room. "That's why I don't have a couch yet."

Annie nodded her head slowly. "You didn't bring your old one?"

"Nah, didn't fit the décor." Annie gave him a doubtful look and he frowned at her. He knew what she thought about his 'short-term corporate housing' decorating style. "Shut up. It was time for a new one anyway."

Jeff added salt and pepper to the egg whites while pointedly trying to ignore Annie's amusement. "Well, what about you? You said you were out with friends from your old job last night?"

Annie's mirth quickly faded. "Oh. Yeah, a few friends from back when I worked at Futurza."

Jeff glanced up in surprise from where he'd been whisking the ingredients in the mixing bowl. "Wasn't that the job you got right out of Greendale?" Annie gave a tiny nod, her eyes downcast. "You left? What happened?"

Annie lifted her feet up onto the stool and hugged her knees to her chest. "It just… it wasn't what I wanted to do."

Jeff eyed her patiently, waiting for her to elaborate. The whisk hung slackly in his left hand, breakfast temporarily forgotten.

Annie directed a furtive glance his way, then sighed when it became apparent he wasn't letting the subject drop. "Well," she continued reluctantly, "for starters, the work had nothing to do with hospital administration; I was a glorified product demonstrator. I think the only reason they hired me was my looks, too." She delivered the last sentence with a mixture of disgust and self-congratulation. "Most of my peers were attractive women in their twenties. They'd have dressed us up in bikinis and had us pass out samples, if they could've."

Part of Jeff sympathized with Annie. Part of him really wanted to see her in a bikini passing out samples. And the rest of him hated himself for that second part.

"But I could've dealt with all that stuff," Annie went on. "What I couldn't handle was when I realized what I was really doing. I was helping hook a new batch of little Annies on Adderall." She fell silent and rested her chin on one knee, looking glum.

Jeff needed a moment before he could think of anything to say. He had a little trouble comprehending how Annie's first job out of college had been anything other than a resounding success. "Wow Annie… I'm sorry to hear that. But good for you for getting out."

Annie grimaced. "I sort of owe Britta for that. I ran into her in September and she totally called me on what I was doing. Once she made me see it for what it was… I couldn't do it anymore."

"Well now I'm really sorry. I know how much it sucks to owe Britta." Annie lifted her head off her knee and directed a tenuous smile his way. "Anyway, I'm sure you ended up finding something better," he said casually as he poured a little olive oil into a skillet on the stove.

"Ummmm…"

That was a little too high-pitched to be a good thing.

"What is it?"

Annie was picking at some balled-up lint on her sweatpants and studiously avoiding his gaze.

"Annie?"

"I uh… rrnrrdngrndll." The words came out too low and fast for him to understand. Well, there was one thing it sort of sounded like, but that was just ridiculous. There was no way she'd–

"You what?"

Annie's forehead dropped onto her knees. "I re-enrolled at Greendale," she groaned.

The mixing bowl Jeff had been holding crashed onto the countertop with enough force that he had to quickly check if it had caused any damage. Satisfied that noise was the only byproduct of the impact, he hurried around to the other side of the kitchen island where Annie still had her head buried between her knees.

"Annie, you re-enrolled at Greendale? What-? Why-? How…?"

She looked up slightly and peered at him through her eyelashes. "So did Troy, Abed, Britta and Pierce."

Jeff found himself needing to lean against the kitchen island. "Wow…" was all he could manage.

Annie ducked her head again. "Do you think I'm a failure?" she asked quietly.

 _"_ _What?"_ She could not have surprised him more if she'd slapped him full in the face. "Annie look at me." Her eyes lifted slowly to meet his and he was struck yet again by just how big she could make them – especially if she was feeling vulnerable. "I would never think that of you." The earnestness in his voice matched the look on his face.

Annie eyed him for a moment. "I…" She closed her eyes before taking a deep breath. "Thanks…" she said softly. Jeff felt his muscles relax and realized he'd had an iron grip on the countertop. Annie seemed to recover and quickly shook her head. "I'm sorry… I don't know where that came from. I'm really not unhappy being back at Greendale; I guess it's just not where I pictured myself being at this point in my life. You know?"

Jeff barked out a laugh. "Annie, you're talking to a guy who started at Greendale in his thirties. Believe me, I know all too well."

Annie's eyes widened. "Oh gosh! I'm sorry, I forgot!"

"No need to apologize," Jeff said as he started back around to the other side of the island. "That's something I'm always trying to forget." Annie let out a surprised giggle, but still managed to scold him with her eyes. "So, uh, what are you doing back there?"

Annie dropped her feet off the stool and sat forward, leaning one arm on the counter. "I went back into forensic science."

"You like it?"

"Yeah," she said wistfully. "That was my actual dream. I should've just stuck with it."

"Then that's all that matters."

Annie smiled broadly at him and Jeff could've sworn he felt his stomach drop. Maybe he was hungrier than he realized. Because anything else it might mean was something he didn't want to consider. He scraped the chopped vegetables into the pan and gave them a quick stir, then grabbed some cheese and began grating it in an effort to banish thoughts of ridiculously wide smiles and deep blue eyes.

"I guess it's better to go back now than to be wishing I had in ten years."

"Mmmhmm." Jeff yanked open the refrigerator and pulled out a pack of English muffins.

Focus. On. Breakfast.

He pulled apart two muffins and popped them in the toaster, then grabbed a couple of plates. As he was stirring the vegetables in the pan, it occurred to him that Annie was still talking, and she was conveying information he wanted to know.

"…still convinced that she's going to be a psychologist. I admire her determination, I just think she'd be better suited somewhere else."

"Psychology thinks she'd be better suited somewhere else."

His quip earned him another scolding look, but this time without the accompanying giggle. Jeff shrugged and shot back an innocent look. Hadn't he just been agreeing with her? Annie rolled her eyes and continued.

"Anyway, Troy's on a mission to figure out who he is, and Pierce just seems to be lonely. Abed only got one job in film since graduation and had been doing software coding instead." Jeff's ears perked up at that. "He said he needs to learn how to work with other people."

"Ha!" Jeff exclaimed. "He's got that right."

Annie gave him a quizzical look.

"He didn't tell you?"

"I guess not?"

"That one job he got? I had him make the commercial for my business. I had to get a new phone number because Abed didn't like it. He was ready to quit rather than put it on the screen."

Annie's eyebrows shot up. "He was going to quit?" Jeff nodded. "Wait, so you changed your phone number just to keep him from quitting?"

"Well… yeah."

"Aww!"

It was Jeff's turn to roll his eyes. But he seemed to have earned back any points he'd lost as a result of being snarky about Britta, and that made him feel happier than it should have. "Whatever. I was just starting out, so no one really had my phone number anyway."

Annie was still beaming at him, so he directed his attention towards moving the sautéed vegetables to a plate and pouring the egg whites into the pan.

"What about Shirley? She didn't re-enroll too?"

"Oh!" Annie was suddenly bouncing in her seat. "She opened a second location of Shirley's Sandwiches! She's too busy to take classes with us, but she's mostly at the Greendale store, so we still see her all the time."

"Second location huh? Where is it?"

Annie made a sour face. "City College. That's why she's usually at the Greendale store. Oh, but you _cannot_ imagine how excited the Dean was when he heard that a Greendale graduate would own a store on the City College campus!"

A myriad of images flashed through Jeff's head, all of which he wished he could mentally un-see. "I'm guessing his reaction involved the single most elaborate outfit he's ever worn."

Annie hugged herself close, rocking slowly in place. "Let's just say I'll never be able to watch _The Sound of Music_ the same way again."

"Oh god…"

Annie nodded agreement, a look of disquiet painted on her face.

The toaster pinged just as Jeff was finishing adding the peppers and mushrooms back to the pan and he practically leapt towards it, grateful for anything that would take his mind off the desecration of a classic movie.

"Well, good for Shirley though," Jeff said as he delicately tried to extract the muffins from the toaster without burning his fingertips.

True to form, Annie rebounded quickly and was once again bright and chipper as ever. "Yes! I'm so happy for her! And it's really great being with everyone again. I'd sort of lost touch with Britta and Pierce after graduation." Jeff couldn't help but notice that she hadn't listed him along with the others.

"Glad you guys are having fun. I wish I could be there." The strange thing was, he actually meant it. Greendale was the craziest, most maddening school-shaped toilet he could conceive of, and yet… it was a place that had given him a chance to figure out who he was. A place that had given him Shirley, Abed, Troy, Britta, Pierce and–

"We miss you, you know," Annie said softly.

Jeff put on a brash smile, a smile that was completely at odds with what he was feeling at the moment. "Of course. Who wouldn't miss me?"

Annie huffed out a laugh, but the corners of her eyes seemed to be tinged with sadness.

Breakfast was finally ready, so Jeff scooped a fluffy white omelet onto each plate. Annie helped him carry everything over to the ceramic lead grey table in what served as his dining room, and they laid out the English muffins, some jam and sliced fruit. As they ate breakfast and sipped coffee, Jeff regaled Annie with stories from some of his more interesting court cases, while Annie brought Jeff up to speed on the activities of what the group was calling the Save Greendale Committee. It didn't surprise Jeff that Greendale needed to be saved. Somehow, it was oddly comforting to know that Greendale remained as absurd as ever.

By the time they'd finished eating, Jeff was almost beginning to feel human again. His headache was mostly gone, as was the lingering muscle soreness. He still wanted a shower, though. But none of that seemed to matter when, after another hour of conversation had passed, Annie said five little words.

"I should probably get going…"

She continued on with a few platitudes, thanking him for breakfast and letting her stay overnight, but that she needed to get changed and had a list of things to get done. Jeff responded as he was supposed to, thanking her again for getting him home and saying how great it was to see her again. They mutually agreed that they needed to do a better job of keeping in touch, but it still left Jeff feeling empty. As though knowing this had been but a brief interlude in what would soon return to slowly sliding apart.

He didn't want her to leave. But something in him wouldn't allow him to say it.

Annie shut herself in his bedroom to change back into her clothes from the night before while Jeff remained in the dining room, trying in vain to come up with a casual way to invite himself over to Apartment 303. He was still busy failing at that task when he heard her call his name. He padded over to his bedroom and cracked the door open a tiny bit, not wanting to intrude if Annie hadn't finished changing.

"Annie? Is something wrong?"

"Jeff, come here!"

Jeff opened the door the rest of the way and strode into the room. Annie was over by the window, one hand still clutching the cord she'd pulled in order to raise the heavy blinds. She'd changed back into the pants she wore the night before, but still had on his sweatshirt.

"What's up?" He pulled up next to her and eyed her expectantly, but all she did was continue staring out the window. Eventually, he allowed his gaze to follow hers, and as it did, he felt his breath catch in his throat.

Outside, he saw the same view he was only just becoming accustomed to seeing out his window, but with one key difference: the entire world was encased in ice. Buildings, trees, streets, grass, cars… every visible surface was covered with a sheen of crystal. Nothing moved, as though some greater power had decided to seize this one moment in time, and keep it forever.

"Holy… crap," Jeff breathed.

Annie's voice was little more than a reverent whisper. "Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?"

Jeff glanced down at Annie and allowed his gaze to linger on her profile.

Like the outside world, they remained frozen in place until the chiming of Annie's phone shattered the silence. She moved sluggishly at first, almost as if the ice had crept into her veins as well. But soon enough, the phone was in her hand and Jeff was turning towards the living room.

"Hello?" he heard her say as he crossed the threshold out of his bedroom. "Hi Troy. Yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry, I didn't see your messages–"

Jeff continued over to the TV and flipped on the news. After several minutes' worth of footage of ice-covered landscapes, downed trees and power lines, frazzled field correspondents, and emergency vehicles, Annie appeared beside him. They watched in silence a while longer, as the weatherman described how conditions had held at just the right point for hours and hours as the rain fell, allowing over an inch of ice to build up over an area stretching across several counties. The beleaguered weatherman then described in ominous tones that there would likely be no relief, as another front was building from the north, carrying the promise of snow. Next came interviews with high ranking police and firemen, informing viewers that most roads had been closed and imploring the public to stay indoors as much as possible.

Nature's beauty, it seemed, was not without its violence or cost. But as the news anchor began announcing that the governor had declared a state of emergency, Jeff found himself paradoxically becoming more and more content.

Annie was staying.


	2. Schrödinger's Cat

Annie winced as the news cut to a shot of a roof that had been caved in by a toppled tree. Every damaged home, every crushed car, every broken tree branch felt like a tiny pinprick in her soul. From a distance, it had all looked so beautiful. She hadn't considered the impact… The news was reporting widespread power outages, and it made her feel almost guilty to be warm and safe in a fancy new building.

"Wow, it looks dangerous out there," she said sadly. She could see Jeff nodding his head slowly out of the corner of her eye. "I guess it's not safe to drive anywhere."

"Yeah, guess we're stuck here." Something strange in Jeff's tone caused her eyebrows to knit together. She glanced over at him, but his expression only left her more nonplussed.

"Wait, are you happy about this?" she asked incredulously.

Jeff jerked slightly, then turned to look at her. "Well I–" he began, looking abashed, "I mean, it's like a snow day, you know? I always loved those as a kid."

Annie's eyebrows rose. "But… it's Saturday. We'd be off anyway." Her mind drifted to the ordered and annotated list of things to get done she'd written down before heading out to the bar the previous evening. With an internal sigh, she silently mourned the lost productivity.

"Ok, Britta," Jeff snarked. "Thanks for killing my buzz."

Annie side-eyed him for a moment, then turned back to the TV. Strangely, Jeff looked more relieved than annoyed. "Ugh, that's just heartbreaking," she said in response to an interview with a young family whose house had been heavily damaged.

"Yeah," Jeff concurred. "What do you say we do something else? I've had about all I can take of catastrophe."

Part of Annie agreed with Jeff, but part of her felt like it was a tiny betrayal to close her eyes to the suffering of others. She ended up setting a bargain with herself: for now, she'd try her best to forget the TV and enjoy the unexpected extra time with an old friend. But as soon as conditions were safe, she was going to find someplace to volunteer with a relief or cleanup effort.

"Okay," she said grudgingly. "So, uh, what do you want to do?"

Jeff looked over at the clock on the cable box. "Well, it's almost 10:30. I usually go to the gym Saturday mornings. We can't go to my gym, but this building has a fitness center."

The idea of a workout did appeal to Annie, but there was one problem. "That sounds good, except I don't have any clothes. I can't really work out in this." She gestured to the snug slacks she was wearing and Jeff's baggy sweatshirt.

"Oh, right…" Jeff pursed his lips in thought. He brightened suddenly as an idea seemed to occur to him, but then he frowned almost immediately. "I might have a solution."

Annie raised an eyebrow at him. "You don't seem very happy about that."

Jeff grimaced. "My neighbor Corinne. She's about the same size as you. I bet she'd let you borrow some clothes."

Annie smiled. "Oh, that's a good idea, and I'd love to meet one of your neighbors!"

Jeff's grimace only deepened.

"What's wrong?"

"You'll see." Jeff closed his eyes, as though steeling himself for something unpleasant. "Hold on, I've got to get ready."

He disappeared into his room, leaving Annie alone with the distressing images still being depicted on the television. She watched for another minute before shutting it off and wandering over to the bank of windows lining one of the living room walls. The world outside still appeared frozen in place, and Annie couldn't help but let out a slight gasp upon seeing it again.

She remained by the windows, mesmerized by the view, until Jeff returned a few minutes later. "Ok," he said reluctantly, "let's go." Annie turned and immediately had to stifle another gasp. He'd changed into athletic wear for the gym, and despite covering his abs, his skin-tight tank top wasn't doing much to hide the contours of his muscles, and his arms and most of his shoulders were bare.

Annie felt her cheeks grow hot and quickly turned away, lest she become mesmerized by this newest view. "I'm ready!" she yelped, and hurried towards the door.

Once in the hallway though, she had to hang back and allow Jeff to lead the way. As they started down the hall, Annie's eyes settled on his shoulders, and the way his muscles rippled when he–

Nope!

In a momentary panic, Annie redirected her gaze. Unfortunately, the new target her eyes had chosen ended up being even worse. The shorts Jeff was wearing, while not quite as snug as his tank top, still gave her a rather nice view of his well-shaped–

Well now, what an interesting ceiling the hallway had!

Jeff stopped at the first door they came across, and Annie, who was still busy studying the ceiling, promptly crashed into him.

"Ooof!"

"What– Are you ok?"

Running into Jeff felt a little like running into brick wall. Annie stepped back quickly and mumbled an apology. Jeff gave her a curious look, then turned towards the door. He hesitated a moment, then raised his arm to knock.

After a few seconds, a latch clicked and the door swung open. A strong odor of saffron immediately assaulted Annie's nostrils, and she had to fight back a sneeze. Standing in the doorway was an older woman, though Annie would've been hard-pressed to guess her age. Her skin seemed unnaturally taut around her face and her fiery red hair had clearly been dyed that way. She was about Annie's height, and her slim, wiry build indicated that she took care of herself. She was dressed in some comically fuzzy slippers and a flowing purple bathrobe that appeared to be made of silk. Her green eyes glistened as she gazed at Jeff, a predatory smile on her lips.

"Why, Jeffrey Winger," she drawled, "whatever did I do to deserve such a treat?"

Jeff appeared to be suppressing a shudder as he responded. "Hi Corinne, I was hoping you could help me out with something. But first, let me introduce you to my friend Annie."

Corinne turned to face her, and Annie stepped forward and extended her hand, a wide smile on her face. "Hi! I'm Annie Edison."

Corinne gave her an appraising look, then reached out in turn and lightly shook Annie's hand. "My, aren't you a pretty little thing?"

Annie felt herself flush, but her smile widened even further. "Oh! Thank you so much!"

"It's a pleasure dear, I'm Corinne Patterson." She withdrew her hand and looked between Annie and Jeff. "Now what can I help you two with this morning?"

"Well, I sorta got a little drunk at the bar last night and Annie helped me get home. But with the weather and all, she's pretty much stuck here and doesn't have a change of clothes." Jeff was rambling and speaking too quickly, and Annie could tell he felt uncomfortable. She couldn't remember ever seeing him rattled like this. "I thought you two were about the same size, so I was hoping–"

"How old are you, hon?" Corrine stared intently at Annie, an amused smile tugging at her lips.

"Um, I'm twenty-three." Annie was so surprised by the question, she didn't have time to consider whether it was polite or not.

Corinne turned back to Jeff. "So… Annie here needed to borrow some clothes, and _you_ thought to yourself 'who's the closest match I know for a lovely young twenty-three-year-old'?" she teased the words out slowly, clearly enjoying herself. "Why, that's just so flattering, I don't see how I could possibly say no." She turned her smile on Annie, a twinkle in her eye. "Though I must say, I'm a bit jealous, dear. What I wouldn't give to be stuck in this man's home without any clothes."

Annie's eyes bulged as Corinne turned in one fluid motion, then raised one finger over her shoulder and beckoned them to follow. Annie and Jeff exchanged an awkward glance, then entered after her.

"Fine spot of weather we're having, isn't it?" Corinne said casually as she led them into her living room.

"It's crazy," Annie replied, "I've never seen anything like it." She did a quick survey of her surroundings. Corinne's condo was dominated by large, ostentatious furniture that looked simultaneously impractical and expensive. Gaudy crystal decorations were everywhere, often acting as prisms when catching the bright lights and painting the rooms in tiny rainbows. Every color imaginable seemed to be represented somewhere, but somehow the kaleidoscopic scheme worked. For a decorating style, it was about as far from Jeff's condo as you could get.

"I'll say. I grew up in the South, so I never really liked the cold. It was my husband that brought me to Colorado," Corinne said wistfully as they approached what Annie suspected was the entrance to Corinne's bedroom. "Now Jeffrey, wait here while I take Annie back to pick out something to wear. You can sit that sweet ass of yours wherever you like."

Annie caught the look of panic on Jeff's face and had to suppress a giggle. Corinne waved her past and Annie entered the bedroom. The decorating was much more subdued than the rest of the condo, but she immediately noticed that the myriad of throw pillows was arranged by color rather than size, and gave an approving nod.

Annie turned to see Corinne slowly closing the door behind them, and eyeing Jeff the entire time. When the door finally clicked closed, she turned and laid a hand over her chest. "Oh, I would do such dirty things to that man!"

This time Annie didn't bother to suppress her giggle. In spite of, or perhaps because of, how uncomfortable she made Jeff, Annie was really starting to like Corinne.

"Now," Corinne announced as she strode past Annie, "before we talk clothes, let's talk Jeff." She sat down on the bed and patted the surface next to her. Annie gulped, but took a seat next to Corinne. "I should warn you first, dear: I'm a bit blunt, in case you haven't noticed. I hope it doesn't offend you, but it's just the way I am and I'm too old to go changing every little thing about myself."

Annie gave a dismissive wave that was slightly at odds with the trepidation Corinne's stated choice of topic was beginning to make her feel. "You should meet my friend Abed. You would get along great."

Corinne smiled as she reached out to pat Annie's hand. "So, how do you and Jeff know each other?"

Annie brightened. "Oh, we went to Greendale together."

Corinne glanced over at the closed door. "At the same time? That sounds like a story I'll have to pry out of him at some point." Her expression indicated that she looked forward to the prying. "But on to the important stuff, dear. Are you two an item?"

"No!" Annie yelped. "I mean, we've– but we've never– and we're not–" It was a question Annie had expected, given what little she knew of Corinne. But somehow the asking of it still left her flustered.

Corinne inched closer to Annie and rubbed her back reassuringly. "Oh, sweetie. I think you just told me everything I need to know. But if you're willing to share, I'd like to know more."

Annie felt a swell of emotion at the maternal tone in Corinne's voice. It also didn't help that their topic of discussion was already digging into feelings she'd thought long buried. She took a deep breath to settle herself and tried to think of the best place to begin. "Well, our history is… complicated."

Oh god, she sounded like Jeff.

Corinne laughed and patted Annie again. "I'd already guessed that, dear."

Annie couldn't help but laugh as well, which helped her to relax. Blunt she may be, but there was something about Corinne that put Annie at ease. "We've never dated. But all throughout college there was this general feeling of 'would they? might they?' It never went anywhere, although we did make out a few times."

"Mmm, now I'm _really_ jealous of you," Corinne chuckled. "Have you ever slept with him?"

"Only last night."

Corinne's eyebrows shot up and Annie gasped.

"Nonono! That was just sleep! He doesn't have a couch and there was no place else–" Annie's cheeks felt like they were on fire. "He was too drunk anyway…" she finished meekly.

Corinne looked at Annie affectionately. "Oh, you really are a sweetheart, aren't you? And adorable too. Tell me though, did you want to date him?"

Annie closed her eyes and sighed. "For a while… more than anything." She shook her head and directed an earnest look at Corinne. "But it was… just a crush. I was really unpopular in high school, and Jeff was like, the coolest guy on campus. Guys like him never used to talk to me. And even though he could be a jerk sometimes, he always made up for it. He really cared about me. About all of us."

"Us?"

"There's a group of our friends. We started out as a study group, but we sort of became like family."

"I see."

Annie had a feeling she knew what Corinne would ask next, and for some reason she felt compelled to answer even before being asked. "We never dated because Jeff– Well, the first time we kissed, I was only eighteen." Corinne's eyebrows rose again. "But it wasn't– it was just to win a debate."

"Oh my, I like those rules!" Corinne enthused.

Annie huffed out a laugh. She couldn't help but wonder what Corinne was like when she was younger. Part of her wished she'd known her at Greendale; she would've loved to see her go head to head with Pierce.

"We kissed again at the end of our freshman year. Really kissed. I pretty much obsessed over him that whole summer." Whenever Annie thought back on those days, it felt like an out-of-body experience. A part of her still went all gooey inside anytime her mind replayed their kiss outside the dance. But then she'd remember the first day of their sophomore year… "I was nineteen by then, but he just felt guilty about how young I was. He didn't want to date me, but he'd always get insanely jealous whenever I showed interest in another guy."

"You poor thing," Corinne sympathized. "That must have been so frustrating. And confusing, especially for someone so young. I'm not sure how I would've handled something like that at that age."

Frustrating and confusing. Yeah, that about summed it up.

"During our second year, I spent a lot of time reading into things that apparently weren't there. In our third year, Jeff seemed to finally get over our age difference. A few times I thought maybe he was ready to–" Annie's lip quivered slightly as she drew in a tremulous breath. "But he just seemed to have… other priorities."

Corinne paused, a pensive look on her face. "So, how do you feel about him now?"

That was the million-dollar question, wasn't it? What surprised Annie most, though, was that she actually had an answer.

"Well, until last night I hadn't seen him since last June. After graduation, he stopped coming to group activities as much and we slowly lost touch." They'd kept inviting him for months, but eventually the excuses started repeating themselves and the hint was finally taken. "I still–" Annie hesitated, but was again surprised that she didn't need to collect her thoughts. She already knew how she felt. "He's still like family to me, and I'd love for him to be a part of my life. Our time apart was probably a good thing, though. It was… difficult… for me to move on when he was always around. But I've got some distance now and we can finally move forward just as friends. He's never going to want more than that, and I can't–" She stopped again, as though expecting the words would be difficult to say. They weren't. "I can't go down that path again."

Corinne nodded slowly, then suddenly wrapped Annie in a tight hug. Annie was taken a bit off guard, but soon found herself returning the hug just as fiercely. When they pulled apart, she was amazed to see tears glistening in Corinne's eyes.

"Thank you for sharing all that, dear. I realize we don't know each other that well yet, so I appreciate the trust you've shown me." The corners of her lips turned up into a sly smile. "And for what it's worth, I think Jeff is an idiot for not wanting to date you."

Annie narrowed her eyes playfully and smiled at Corinne. "He is, isn't he?"

Corinne barked out a laugh. "That's the spirit! Now, let's find you something to wear." She made as if to rise off the bed, but hesitated with her hands on her knees. "Just… one more thing. I think you're right to move on if Jeff isn't willing or able to return your feelings. I'd just– I'd hate for you to dismiss those feelings as nothing more than a crush. Crushes don't tend to last four years, dear."

With that, Corinne popped up off the bed and disappeared into a large walk-in closet, leaving Annie on the bed with a sudden fluttering in her stomach.

Annie heard the flick of a light switch, and Corinne's voice joined the new glow of light in emanating from the closet. "Are you coming, dear?"

Annie slowly rose from the bed and made her way over to join Corinne. The closet was neatly arranged, with rows of shoes running the length of the floor on every side, above which hung crisply pressed pants, shirts, dresses and jackets, and finally, a top shelf ran around three sides of the closet, lined with a multitude of hats of varying sizes. Much like the décor of the condo, the clothes ran the gamut from somewhat conservative to things Craig Pelton would delight in.

Corinne had been picking through some of the less outlandish garments, and looked over when Annie entered. "There you are. Now I–" She stopped herself and eyed Annie closely. "You look like you've got something to say."

There was something Annie wanted to ask. But it felt awkward, and she wasn't as comfortable with being blunt as–

"Come on, out with it," Corinne chided her. "The only thing that bothers me is when people don't say what's on their minds."

Annie intended to make something up, but Corinne seemed to have a strange power over her. And before she knew it, she was blurting out the question. "Why would you tell me to move on, and then tell me that my feelings for Jeff were more than just a crush?"

A melancholy smile spread across Corinne's lips. "Well, sweetie, you shared with me, so I suppose it's only fair that I share with you. You see, your situation with Jeff reminds me of something that happened to me. When I was younger, well, I was never as pretty as you are dear, but I had my share of boys chasing after me." Corinne puffed herself up slightly at that, though Annie doubted she even realized she was doing it.

"But there was this one boy in college that was… well, he was sweet and all, but for some reason I just never thought of him romantically. He sure thought about me that way though. He even told me so. But you know me, I told him right where he stood." Annie could imagine how such a conversation would go with Corinne. She was relieved she would likely never have to witness one.

"It didn't seem to bother him though, so we ended up becoming friends. I enjoyed spending time with him, but that was all there was to it. I figured he'd just had a crush on me, and it eventually went away. Then one day, he comes to me like some scene in a cheesy movie and tells me that he's in love with me." Corinne shook her head and looked genuinely heartbroken. "I laughed right in his face. I wasn't trying to be cruel or anything, I just– I didn't think he was serious."

Corinne fell silent for a moment and Annie studied her. She may not have had romantic feelings for whoever this boy was, but he was her friend and she clearly cared about him. She hadn't meant to hurt him, but she did, and it was evident that even after all these years, it still tore her apart. Annie wondered if Jeff had ever felt that way any of those times he'd hurt her.

Corinne sighed, then continued. "I thought we'd keep on being friends like we had been, and for a while we did. But he was different. Eventually he told me that as hard as he tried, he just loved me too much to handle being that close if I didn't feel the same way." She reached out and placed a hand on Annie's forearm, squeezing lightly to emphasize her point. "But you see, just because he needed to move on didn't mean that his feelings for me weren't real. You have to… love yourself… enough to know when you need to walk away."

Annie sniffled and tried to blink away the tears that were pooling in her eyes. She stepped close to Corinne and wrapped her in a hug. "What happened to that boy?" she asked with an unsteady voice.

Corinne gave Annie a squeeze, then pulled back and regarded her with a soft smile.

"I married him."

Annie felt her heart turn into goo as she clasped her hands under her chin. "Aww!"

Corinne's smile widened and Annie could've sworn she even blushed a little. "Not right away mind you. At first, I didn't think he'd go through with it. When he did, I was more mad than anything else. But as time went on, I started to feel like there was this gaping hole in my life. I thought I was just sad over losing a friend, but it kept gettin' worse."

"One day I was leaving class and I saw him. He was at the other end of the hall talking to some professor. He never noticed me, but even just seeing him from a distance filled me with so much– well, it all sort of clicked into place after that." Corinne shrugged like it was no big deal, but Annie could still read the emotions behind her eyes. It may have taken her a while to realize it, but this boy had been the love of her life.

Annie bounced on her toes and had the urge to hug Corinne again. "That's so sweet!"

"He gave me twenty-eight wonderful years and three lovely children that don't visit as often as I'd like." Corinne winked at her and turned back around. "Come now, dear, we've got to get you some clothes. If we take much longer, Jeff will think we're up to something naughty."

Annie let out a surprised laugh.

"You think I'm joking?" Corinne turned her head and directed a wry smile at Annie. "You're sweet, dear. But if there's one thing I know about men, it's that all their minds work the same way. Some are just better at hiding it than others. Jeff strikes me as someone that's not particularly good at hiding it." She pulled a couple shirts off their hangers and held them up to examine them. "He won't _really_ think that's what we're up to, but the thought will enter his little brain. And once it's there, it won't leave. You mark my words, the first thing he'll ask you when you're alone is 'what were you guys doing in there'?" She delivered the last bit in a low, oafish tone.

Annie let out another laugh. "Well, I'll let you know if you're right."

They then got down to the task of picking out some clothes for Annie to wear. They weren't exactly the style that she normally wore, but Corinne was the same height as her, and they were almost an exact match in figure. The one major difference was in chest size, however, which made for a somewhat uncomfortable fit when it came to a sports bra.

"Gosh, I'm almost spilling out of this," Annie groused as she tried adjusting the fit for the umpteenth time.

Corinne, however, wore a rather bemused look. "I don't know, honey, I think it's perfect."

Annie shot her an incredulous look. "Perfect? I feel like there's enough pressure that if they pop out, they might hit me in the face."

Corinne grinned at her. "But just imagine the look on Jeff's face when we walk out there!" Annie gasped and Corinne burst out laughing. "Do me a favor sweetie, make sure to run on the treadmill next to him. I bet you he trips at least three times."

Annie could feel herself turning beet red, but part of her resolved to test out Corinne's theory. As they set about picking an outfit for Annie to wear after the fitness center, she immediately directed the conversation back to Corinne's family in an effort to avoid further discussion on the topic of Jeff. She learned that Corinne had two daughters and a son, all in their thirties and with families of their own. Her husband had been an executive with a company that sold athletic equipment and apparel, specializing in winter sports, which was how they'd ended up in Colorado. He'd died over ten years earlier from a heart attack.

"Now that he's gone, I keep telling myself I'll move back someplace warmer, but I just never seem to get around to it." Annie made a sympathetic noise. She figured the memory of her husband was what kept Corinne tied to Colorado, along with the fact that their children had grown up there.

"Ok!" Corinne exclaimed. "I think that should settle you for today. If you're still stuck here tomorrow, come see me again. Who knows what this weather is doing."

Annie beamed at Corinne. "Are you kidding? I'm going to come see you regardless. Thank you so much!"

"You can thank me by bringing Jeff with you," Corinne said with a wink. "I do so enjoy making that man squirm. Oh, and the less clothing he's wearing, the better."

At first, Annie had found Corinne's openly suggestive comments towards Jeff somewhat appalling. But now having gotten to know her better, she could hardly wait to watch her in action again.

They exited Corinne's bedroom into the main part of the condo. Jeff was sitting on a large white recliner, his nose buried in his phone. He glanced up as the women approached, and Annie watched his expression change from indignant impatience to shocked panic as his suddenly bulging eyes took in her scant outfit. Her form-fitting spandex shorts ended about a quarter of the way down her thighs and the matching tank top left much of her midriff bare. Sneakers and ankle socks completed the outfit, but it was the combination of the tank top and sports bra that seemed to discomfit him the most. It only lasted a fraction of a moment, but Annie remembered Corinne's words and had to hold back a laugh.

Corinne, however, had no such compunctions and guffawed loudly.

Jeff composed himself quickly and stood, electing to pretend as though nothing had happened. "About time. Are you ready?"

"Yep!" Annie chirped as she quickly tied her hair into a ponytail.

At the doorway Corinne handed over the neatly folded post-workout clothes to Annie as Jeff mumbled his thanks. Corinne turned her gaze on him, and said with a mischievous smile "Anything for you, Jeffrey. And I do mean _anything_."

Jeff's face resembled that of a Fear Factor contestant that had just been sealed in a bug body bag, and he looked only too happy to begin making his escape down the hallway.

"Thanks again! It was so nice meeting you!" Annie said cheerfully as she started after Jeff.

"You too, Annie." After a strategic moment's silence, Corinne called after them in a singsong voice, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

Annie felt herself flush and spun back, but Corinne had already disappeared into her condo. When she turned again, she caught Jeff's eyes snapping up to meet hers, having previously been focused somewhere lower. Part of her wanted to be offended. But it had taken years for her to get used to the idea that she was actually hot. And after her experiences in high school, being able to get the attention of a guy like Jeff made her feel really good about herself.

She arched her back slightly and could've sworn Jeff twitched with the effort not to look. "Shall we?" she said casually and started off without waiting for Jeff's response.

They made a quick stop at Jeff's condo and as Jeff was putting the key into the lock, he cleared his throat. "So, uh, what were you guys doing in there?" he asked with affected nonchalance.

Annie erupted into laughter. Corinne had been right. Jeff stared at her dumbly while she tried to get herself under control.

"What's so funny?"

Annie waved a hand, but needed a minute before she was able to speak. "Nn– nothing. Just ss– something Corinne said."

Jeff gave her a look like she was crazy, and opened the door. Annie dropped off the second set of clothes and they proceeded down to the fitness center. They each went through their own series of exercises, and Annie tried with varying amounts of success to keep her eyes to herself when Jeff was lifting weights. When Jeff jumped on one of the treadmills for what he called his "cooldown run," Annie saw her opportunity and occupied the machine next to him.

Jeff tripped four times.


	3. Newton's First Law

Jeff dabbed some antiseptic onto the largest scrape on his knee and tried in vain to think of one good reason why he'd thought putting Annie into a spandex outfit had been a good idea. He hissed quietly at the stinging sensation, then applied a bandage. He returned the first aid paraphernalia to his safe and pulled on a pair of jeans and a gray shirt. The humidity still hung heavily in the air after his shower, and it didn't exactly help his state of mind to know that Annie had used the same shower less than thirty minutes earlier. Lathering her long, dark hair as hot, steaming water ran in rivulets down her slick, smooth–

 _God dammit!_

He needed to get his head straight before he went out to face her again. She'd looked damn good at the fitness center, and she knew it. And what's more, she knew that he'd noticed. Fortunately, she seemed to buy his story about getting over an inner ear infection as the reason he'd tripped so many times on the treadmill. But the way she'd been strutting around, it was like she wanted him to notice. He'd never seen her openly flaunting her sexuality before. She was usually sexy without even trying to be, or even seemingly realizing it. If she learned to harness that power as a tool… Well, the world, and more specifically Jeff, was in trouble.

Okay.

Let's start with the premise that Annie is hot. That's just an objective truth, and thinking it no longer made Jeff feel like a dirty old man. After all, it's not like he was the only one that thought so. Even Britta got jealous of Annie sometimes. So, there was nothing wrong with that. He had a friend who happened to be female and who also happened to be very attractive, and _occasionally_ he took notice of those facts. What of it? She'd certainly done her share of checking him out over the years. It didn't have to mean anything.

The bigger question was why she was suddenly trying to get his attention. She'd never done it before, even back when she used to pretend to be married to him. Well, there was a certain Santa's little helper outfit, but he'd chalked that up to the glee–club–induced hysteria they'd all experienced. Even that morning there had been no inkling of any forward behavior on Annie's part. Which probably meant it was Corinne's influence. They'd been in that room for too long to have done nothing other than picking out clothes, and Annie had seemed far too chummy with her after they'd emerged. Not to mention the way Corinne laughed when he saw Annie's outfit.

Yep, it had to be Corinne. That woman was pure trouble. Not only was she constantly looking at him like he was a piece of prime steak that she wanted to devour, but her incessant comments made him feel like an awkward teenager. Jeff had certainly been on the receiving end of suggestive comments from women before, but most of those had been from women he was already trying to pick up. Corinne, however, was the first senior citizen to make such comments to him, and he had no idea how to handle it. He knew how to deal with someone like Pierce if he made inappropriate comments to a young woman at Greendale; he'd tell him to stop being disgusting and move on. But he couldn't say something like that to Corinne, could he?

At any rate, Jeff figured that Corinne must have devised that gym scene as a means of torturing him. He wasn't entirely sure why Annie had gone along with it, though, and the last thing he needed was Corinne influencing her. This was something he'd have to keep his eye on.

In the meantime, though… two could play the torture game.

Jeff pulled off the gray shirt he'd only just put on and strode confidently out to the living room. Annie was sitting in one of his reclining chairs with her legs tucked up under her, reading a magazine. The chair was facing the television, though, so she didn't notice him at first. He walked behind her and over to the closet by the kitchen that housed his washer and dryer. There he made a show of digging through some clothes he'd left folded in a laundry basket, until he picked out a white undershirt. They were all white undershirts, but Annie wouldn't know that. Having selected one, he straightened and turned back towards the bathroom.

Annie was still flipping through her magazine.

Jeff frowned and cleared his throat. "Sorry, forgot to grab an undershirt." There were plenty of clean undershirts in his bedroom, and the shirt he'd chosen to wear didn't need one anyway, but Annie wouldn't know that either.

She didn't look up. "Why would you be sorry about that?"

"Um… you know, just didn't mean to be walking around without a shirt on."

Annie flipped another page. "It's your condo, Jeff, don't mind me. Just let me know when you're ready."

Jeff frowned again and headed back to his bedroom. He stuck the stupid undershirt into a dresser drawer and put his gray shirt back on. He added a belt and shoes, then returned to the bathroom to do his hair.

When he entered the living room again, Annie had put away the magazine and was rocking slowly, her chin perched on her fist. "I was thinking," she said as he approached her chair, "I have a couple things I need to get out of my car. Do you mind if we make a trip out to the parking garage?"

"No problem, I can show you the rest of the complex while we're at it." Annie climbed off her chair and followed him to the closet where he fished out their respective coats. On their way down to the lobby, Jeff extolled the association's amenities, from the extravagant, such as monthly wine tastings, to the more practical, like 24/7 guard service and security monitoring. "The buildings are even connected to dual power grids, so both grids would have to go down before we'd lose power."

"Wow." Annie seemed at a loss for a response and Jeff hoped he hadn't come off as pretentious. "In our building we have… candles."

The elevator door opened and they stepped out into the lobby. The oak desks and end tables, the gold trim everywhere, the fine leather chairs… all those things he'd found so tasteful and inviting when he'd toured as a prospective buyer suddenly seemed overly garish. Even the marble floor was spotless, despite the awful weather outside.

"Uh, you know, it's not that big of a deal." He led Annie through the lobby as quickly as he could. The parking garage was immediately adjacent to the main lobby, and they went through the entrance that provided direct access. Once in the garage, Annie took the lead, heading to the visitors' section where she'd left her car the night before. The garage was cold, being open to the air, but at least it was covered, which prevented the cars from being encased in ice like the outside world had been.

The driver's side door of Annie's Honda opened with a groan and she slid inside the car. The only contents Jeff could see though, aside from seats and a steering wheel, were a few stuffed animals propped up against the rear windshield.

"Did we come all the way out here for your stuffed animals?"

Annie looked up from where she had been fiddling with a lever on the car and gave him an annoyed look. "I'm trying to get the trunk open. The lock on the back doesn't work, and you have to get the interior release just right in order to–" A thunk sounded from the back of the car and the trunk lifted up a couple inches, causing Annie to pump her fist in victory. "Yes!"

She climbed out of the car and went around to the trunk where she pulled out a backpack and slung it over her shoulders. She then closed up the car again and locked it before turning to smile at Jeff. "Ok, that's all I needed."

Jeff eyed her suspiciously. "Please tell me that's not your schoolwork."

Annie registered a brief look of surprise. "What?"

Jeff sighed. "It is your schoolwork, isn't it?"

"I have a test next week."

Jeff gave her a knowing look. "Have you already studied for it?"

Annie hesitated and directed a wary look his way. "No…"

"Yeah, I'm calling BS," Jeff said through a smirk.

"Fine," Annie huffed. "I studied for it, but I always go back and review again."

"You do realize that the school will be closed all week, right?"

"You don't know that!" Annie protested.

Jeff rolled his eyes and found it difficult keep his voice from sounding patronizing. "I do know that, Annie, it's Greendale. Two years ago, that black mold you tried to get rid of closed down the mycology building for over a month."

A look of consternation crossed Annie's face. "I kept saying that needed to be cleaned, but no one listened to me."

"And that was only mold. This," Jeff gestured towards the ice outside, "is an actual disaster. There's a better chance of Troy not crying at the ending of _The Lego Movie_ than there is of Greendale being open this week."

"Wait," Annie knitted her brow together, "that just opened last week, have you seen it already?"

Jeff's eyes widened slightly. "That's not important."

"Aww, Jeff!" The corners of Annie's mouth had started twitching and he knew he'd missed his chance to deny everything. "Why didn't you text me? I'd have gone to see it with you! Was it good?"

"We are not having this conversation right now." Jeff turned and began striding quickly towards a nearby stairwell, causing Annie to have to jog to catch up.

"Geez, Jeff, it's not anything to be ashamed of." Annie drew even with him as they began ascending the stairs, but her latest words caused him to stop and face her.

"Annie, what I do on my own time and in my own moments of weakness is my business. Now can we drop it please?"

"Fine." Annie crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow at him. "But first you have to tell me if you liked it," she finished teasingly.

Jeff stared at her a moment, but Annie was clearly set on getting an answer. "It wasn't terrible," he said grudgingly.

Annie dropped her mouth open in mock surprise. "Wow, it must be _really_ good to get that kind of review from Jeff Winger."

"Annie…" he growled.

She raised her hands defensively. "Dropping it. Dropping it."

Jeff turned and resumed climbing the stairs.

"Where are we going?" Annie was having to work pretty hard to keep up with his pace, so Jeff forced himself to slow down a bit.

"Just want to show you something."

"Oh. Well, anyway," Annie continued, reverting back to their previous topic, "I know there's probably some damage to the campus, but they can shift classes around as necessary while cleanup is underway. Plus, the county has brought in extra workers to help get the roads clear. I think there's a good chance Greendale will be open by midweek."

Four years earlier, he might have thought she was being naïve. But he'd since learned that Annie was just relentlessly optimistic. In this case, her optimism involved school not being cancelled. A sentiment with which Jeff was completely unable to identify.

"Besides," Annie was saying as Jeff pushed open the door to the top level of the garage, "even if school is closed all week, I'll still need to–" she cut off as she took in the view from the top of the building.

It was one thing to look out a window at what nature had wrought, but it was something else entirely to have a nearly 360-degree view of it. Annie gasped softly as they carefully approached the waist-high wall that ran around the edge of the roof. Someone had spread liberal amounts of deicer pellets around the surface, but large patches of ice were still present.

Jeff's condo was actually part of a complex of four buildings interconnected in the shape of a diamond. The main lobby was at one point of the diamond and also linked to the parking garage they were now in. In the center of the diamond was a large courtyard, though from their current vantage point they could only see the ice-covered rooftops of the surrounding buildings. A long driveway stretched from the lobby and parking garage to the gated exit, beyond which was the main road. If you took a left out of the gate, it would lead towards some local shopping centers and the main part of town. To the right, however, was mostly undeveloped land.

Jeff pointed across the driveway to a large open expanse of land, parts of which were glistening in the sporadic sunlight. "You see where the fence ends over by the woods?" Annie nodded. "The complex owns all the land up to there, then all the way down the tree line over there." He pointed to spot off in the distance, at least half a mile away.

"Why did they buy so much land for a complex this size?" Annie asked.

"Well, they're not done building," Jeff replied. "Talk is that they're going to add at least another set of buildings this size, and add some more amenities, like maybe a pool or tennis courts."

"You mean that's not your pool down there?" Annie giggled as she pointed to a small frozen-over pond.

Jeff rolled his eyes. "Ha ha. There's supposedly some sort of fountain installed in there, but I haven't seen it."

Annie hummed to herself as she considered the potential future developments Jeff had described. "Isn't the ground too uneven to build another complex like this?"

Jeff had wondered the same thing when the condo representative had told him their plans. "Apparently it's not that difficult to level it out." There weren't any major hills or anything, but most of the land rolled between peaks and valleys as high as eight to ten feet.

"Hmm," Annie mused as she shifted her attention to the wooded area beyond. "The trees look kind of like Troy and Abed do when we help out at Shirley's Sandwiches."

Jeff scanned the tree line; most branches were sagging grotesquely under the weight of the ice. It gave each tree the appearance of being profoundly tired. "I'm guessing their arms don't actually fall off though."

"You wouldn't know it, based on how much they complain," Annie grumbled.

Jeff huffed out a laugh. "How'd you even get them to help in the first place? Did Shirley guilt them into it?"

"Believe it or not, they suggested it."

Jeff's eyebrows shot up. "You're kidding!"

Annie shook her head. "They got the idea after watching _Half Baked_."

It had been a while since Jeff had seen that movie, but he vividly remembered the scene where one character quit his job in fast food. As inappropriate as it would be to reenact that scene at Shirley's restaurant, he understood the impulse, especially at a place like Greendale. "So, um," he coughed to cover up the fact that he was trying really hard not to laugh, "how did that go?"

A devious smile slid across Annie's lips. "Well, they don't seem to understand the concept that sound travels. I had a talk with Shirley and told her what they were planning. So, she put them on stockroom duty, and I work the register."

Jeff found himself mildly disappointed. When he had first arrived at Greendale, he'd considered giving a similar sendoff at his graduation. Despite being drawn away from that path by a lovable group of misfits, there would've been a certain catharsis in knowing that someone else had pulled it off.

"You know," Jeff directed a smirk at Annie, "I never took you for a bully. A hall monitor, yes, but not a bully."

Annie wrinkled her nose at him. "A bully? What do you mean?"

"Well," Jeff shrugged, "just that Troy and Abed trying to outsmart you isn't what I'd really call a fair fight."

Annie snorted. "Oh please. I let them get away with plenty. But I draw the line at anything that will cause actual harm, physical or otherwise."

Jeff cracked a half smile. "So, what's it like, being the only adult in that apartment?"

Annie considered for a moment. "Oh, I don't know… I'd say it's a lot like our study group meetings whenever Shirley wasn't there."

Jeff raised his eyebrows. "Wow. _Wow._ "

Annie grinned at him and any snarky comebacks he'd been considering died on his lips. Ah, well, he could let her have this one.

They spent a few more minutes surveying the view from the top of the garage before heading back inside. For the final part of the mini-tour, Jeff took Annie over to one of the other buildings to show her the in-house spa.

Annie's eyes went wide when she saw where they were. "Oooh!" She was practically bouncing out of her shoes. "Do you think we can get massages?"

He'd been about to say, 'why not', but suddenly remembered that a massage would entail lying in close proximity to a naked Annie, covered only by small, strategically placed towels.

"Uh…" Jeff scrambled to think of an excuse, but the mental image he'd just had was impeding his brain functions. By the time something came to him, Annie was already opening the glass door. "I'm not sure if they're open with the weather and all," he said quickly.

"It looks like they are," Annie replied excitedly as she stepped inside. Jeff had no choice but to follow.

"They're, uh, probably all booked, you know. We should really–"

"Actually, you're in luck!" a slightly-too-perky blond woman piped up from behind a nearby counter. "Our two o'clock appointments cancelled due to the weather, so we have an open slot."

"That's perfect!" Annie gushed. "That would give us enough time to grab a quick lunch and then come back."

Jeff could feel the trap closing in on him. If he didn't think of a way out soon…

"Um, I don't know…"

"Please, Jeff?" Small, delicate hands were suddenly clutching his, and the Disney eyes were in full effect.

Every instinct he had was screaming that this was a bad idea. But those eyes were not going to be denied. "Fine," he grumbled, then tried to hide a smile as Annie hopped in place and clapped.

Jeff gave his unit information to the woman at the counter, flirting with her just a little in an effort to distract himself from Annie's vivacity.

It was already after 1 o'clock, so they quickly headed back to Jeff's condo to get lunch before returning to the spa. All through lunch and the walks back and forth, Annie bubbled on about how excited she was for the massage, especially since her back had been bothering her a bit. By the time they made it back to the spa, some of Annie's enthusiasm had rubbed off on Jeff, and he found himself almost looking forward to it.

He did, however, resolve to change as quickly as possible, so that he'd already be face-down on the table by the time Annie walked in. Better to just avoid any… complications.

"Welcome back!" the blonde from earlier said as Jeff entered the spa right behind Annie. "My name is Kirsten, and I'll be one of your masseuses today." She shook Annie's hand, then turned to shake Jeff's, her smile widening even further. "Now, if you'll please follow me, I'll show you to the changing rooms."

She led them down a hallway to a pair of open doors on opposite sides. "Right in here, miss," she said as she showed Annie into the room on the left. "Just come out when you're ready. Alex will be here in a moment and can take you to the massage room."

Annie thanked her and disappeared into the changing room. As the door swung shut behind her, Kirsten turned to face Jeff, her eyes sparkling. "And I'll be taking care of you today, Mr. Winger."

Jeff briefly regretted flirting with her earlier, but right now he had a bigger concern. "So, um, who's Alex?"

"Oh, don't worry," Kirsten said brightly, "Alex is one of our most popular masseuses. Almost as good as me," she added with a giggle. "I'm sure your friend will be happy."

"Yeah, but…" he said distractedly as he entered the changing room.

"Now, if there's anything you need, I'll be right outside," she said with a wink, then closed the door behind him.

Jeff stared at the door for a moment before glancing around the changing room. It was small, but lavishly appointed, yet the scented oils and relaxing music weren't doing much to soothe him. His initial concern over being naked near an equally unclothed Annie was now compounded by the prospect of having a frisky masseuse's hands all over him while some muscled stud similarly groped Annie. This was shaping up to be an even bigger disaster than he'd imagined.

Oh crap. He needed to change.

Jeff shook himself out of his malaise and shed his clothes as quickly as possible. He grabbed one of the terrycloth bathrobes, cinched it around the waist, and pulled the door open.

A tiny thrill ran through him when he saw that the door to Annie's changing room was still closed. A smiling Kirsten was waiting for him though, so he eschewed the fist pump he'd been ready to do.

Kirsten led him further down the hall to the massage room. As he entered the softly lit room, the first thing he noticed was a white massage table directly in front of him. Surrounding it were a series of curtains which were drawn closed on the sides, but open at the end he was facing. Standing to his left was a pixyish brunette, who appeared to be waiting patiently outside another set of drawn curtains. Jeff was momentarily flummoxed, until the brunette stepped over and extended her hand. "Good afternoon, Mr. Winger, my name is Alex," she said with a smile.

Relief flooded through him, and Jeff smiled broadly back at her as he shook her hand.

"I'll be taking care of Annie today, but you'll be in good hands with Kirsten here," she continued.

 _Shit._ Annie had beaten him into the massage room after all. At least the curtains were drawn, so there was no–

A sudden shock coursed through him, causing his muscles to tense. His eyes had involuntarily wandered over to the curtains, thinking that there was no danger with them drawn closed. Except that from the angle where he was, a small sliver of an opening allowed him a glimpse of pale white skin. Some of it in places he'd seen before. But the rest…

Jeff averted his eyes as quickly as he could and cleared his throat. "Uh, great. Looking forward to it," he muttered as he entered the area where he'd be getting his massage. He hastily pulled the curtain closed behind him and immediately ran his hands over his face and up into his hair, ending with them clutching the sides of his head. He was slightly worried it might explode if he didn't.

The image of Annie, partial though it may have been, was still burned into his mind. He didn't think he'd ever be able to get that image out of his head. But the thing was, he wasn't sure he wanted to.

* * *

"You're being awfully quiet," Annie dropped heavily into one of the recliners and stretched languidly. "Didn't you like your massage?"

The massage had been surprisingly enjoyable. It was what happened prior to it that was the cause of Jeff's silence. He hadn't meant to see Annie like that, but it made him feel guilty nonetheless. At the moment, it wasn't just speech that was giving him difficulty, but even looking at her. The whole thing was a rather uncomfortable reminder of what a woman she had become.

"It was uh… it was fine," he mumbled as he tapped in the code to unlock his phone, desperate for any sort of distraction.

"Hmph. Well _mine_ was fantastic!" Annie stretched again and hummed contentedly. "I think I fell asleep for a bit," she chuckled.

"You did." Jeff thumbed down the list of notifications on his phone.

"How do you know that?" Annie sounded as though she might still be half asleep.

He had three missed calls. Two from a paralegal that worked for him and one number he didn't recognize. "I could hear you."

"I do _not_ snore," Annie sounded too relaxed to even muster up much indignation.

"I didn't say you did." He glanced over, expecting just to see her profile, but she had rotated the chair so that she could look at him. Her body was sprawled in the chair like a discarded blanket, and she was directing a lazy expression his way. "I could just tell, you know? The slow, even breathing." It was the same breathing he'd heard the night before, when he'd wrapped his arm around her and held her close…

She smiled slowly and her eyes drifted closed, and before he knew it, he was moving towards her. He wasn't quite sure what he was going to do when he reached her, but something was making him–

Annie's phone suddenly chimed to life and her eyes snapped open. Jeff quickly raised his own phone to his ear as though he was checking his messages and continued past her into his bedroom.

He closed the door after entering and left his hand pressed against it to steady himself.

 _What the hell was that?_

He retreated several steps from the doorway and took a few deep breaths, slowly beginning to feel normal again. He wasn't quite sure what to make of what had just happened, so he decided that even though it had been a cover, checking his messages was something he did indeed need to do.

He had two voicemails, the first of which was his paralegal with some case information. The paralegal had been stuck inside with nothing to do, so had been reading up on some briefs and come across something important that they'd both previously missed. Jeff made a quick note on a scratch pad and shook his head. The kid was good, but needed to learn how to relax. Why anyone would be working on a day like this was beyond him. He chuckled to himself and glanced at the door. Who else did he know that was like that?

The second message brought some unexpectedly good news. It was the bar from the previous night calling to tell him that they'd found his wallet, and would hold it for him until the weather cleared up. He briefly wondered whether the staff had ended up trapped at the bar. Well, there were worse places, he supposed. At least they'd have plenty to drink.

He tapped his phone to disconnect from voicemail and stared at his door. He could hear Annie's voice through it, though he couldn't tell what she was saying. Even just the sound of her voice, though, made him feel…

He didn't know what it made him feel. It had been such a strange day, he felt emotionally exhausted. He shook his head and sighed deeply. One thing was clear though: he'd made a big mistake in allowing himself to drift apart from the study group. He'd need to rectify that.

He gathered himself and headed back out into the living room. Annie was pacing back and forth in front the television, her phone still pressed to her ear.

"…nothing we can really do about it," she paused for a moment, looking disappointed. "I was looking forward to seeing you too, but I don't see how it's going to work. Maybe you can visit next week instead?"

Who was she talking to? It clearly wasn't one of the study group members. And why was she twirling her hair like that? Annie glanced up and saw him, and he could've sworn she looked anxious, as though he'd caught her in the act of… something. Jeff lowered his gaze and headed to the kitchen, doing his best to pretend that he wasn't listening.

"I don't know what their plans are now." Another pause. "Well, if they're both here, then you can just sleep in my room."

 _What?!_

Jeff yanked the refrigerator open so hard that some beer bottles fell out and clattered on the floor, causing him to miss some of what Annie was saying.

"…not that big of a deal."

 _Oh sure, having someone sleep over in your room. Not a big deal at all._ Jeff scooped up the fallen beer bottles and returned them to the fridge, but kept one for himself. He opened it over the sink in case it had been shaken too much, then turned around and leaned against the counter and took a long pull.

"Well, I'll talk to them and let you know, ok?" Annie's conversation sounded like it was winding down. "Ok, sure. Yes Anthony, I–"

 _Who the hell is Anthony?_

Annie smiled widely. "Ok, I will. I love you too. Bye."

 _I love you too._

Jeff's head was suddenly swimming. Annie hadn't mentioned being in a relationship, but the topic hadn't really come up. She was single the last time he'd seen her. It had only been eight months; shouldn't that be too fast for sleeping over and "I love you too's"?!

 _I love you too._

It shouldn't bother him. He'd had his chance with her, and he'd had very good reasons for holding back. Very, very good reasons. Reasons that applied just as much now as they had in the past. Annie was free to date whomever she wanted.

 _I love you too._

So why did it feel like his chest was caving in?

"Sorry." The proximity of Annie's voice caused Jeff to jump. She had apparently joined him in the kitchen after ending her phone call. "That was just–"

Jeff could feel the words coming unbidden, and he regretted them even before he blurted them out. "So, you're in love huh?"

Annie recoiled in surprise. "What?"

The anxious look was back. Just further confirmation of what he'd heard. "Who is it this time? Another listless drifter, or goody-goody doctor?"

"What are you–"

"Wait, I know. A prepubescent man-child obsessed with football and movies."

Annie's mouth dropped open. "Jeff, that was really mean."

He shrugged. "I'm just listing the guys that seem to be your type."

Annie narrowed her eyes at him. "Well, good thing you left jackass lawyers off the list."

"So, which one is it?" Jeff said through clenched teeth.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Annie almost shouted.

Jeff rolled his eyes. "Oh please. You just told that Anthony guy that you love him."

Annie looked utterly dumbfounded. He wasn't sure why. She must have known that he could hear–

"Anthony is my _brother!_ "

Her words were like an electric shock from which his brain needed to reboot. It wasn't a quick process. His face probably looked pretty stupid too.

Annie's looked plenty mad, though.

"Gotcha?"

Annie was already shaking her head. Yeah, he wouldn't have bought it either.

She turned and walked briskly out of the kitchen. Jeff hurried after her.

"Annie, please, I'm sorry." She reached the coat closet and pulled it open. "I don't know what came over me."

Annie pulled her coat out and spun to face him. "Well I do. You were jealous!"

Jealous? That was just absurd. "No, I was just–"

Annie jabbed a finger into his chest. " _You_ don't get to be jealous over _anyone_ I date."

Jeff was taken aback by the forcefulness of her tone. If he could only make her understand–

"Annie, really, I was–" She pulled open the door to his condo and stepped through it. "Where are you going?"

"Away."

The sound of the door slamming shut in his face provided a marked contrast to the silence that followed.


End file.
